The melodies of festive carols fill the air of stores and restaurants, the green and red lights twinkle underneath a white bed of snow, and the buzz of last minute shopping has never been more prevalent. The most wonderful time of the year was indeed here, and what better thing to do for Christmas, than to go grab some pizza?

Unfortunately, Christmas was three months ago. But that definitely should not discourage you from going to Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria in Schaumburg on Roselle Rd. And yes, the one in Schaumburg. Not the one in Elgin nor the Lakewood, one even though it’s closest to home.

But who would even bother to commute 40 minutes to a pizzeria that offers the same quality of pizza that you’d find here? People who would want to have an eating experience that most commercial restaurants does not offer, that is who.

As you drive on Roselle, you may not even notice the restaurant at first. Strategically set in the “town square” of downtown Schaumburg, Lou Malnati’s is disguised as a modern version of a quaint Victorian house. Unless you are looking for it, chances are you did mistake the pizzeria for someone’s house.

But once you do find it, you will be thankful that you did not turn around and drive back home out of frustration. You will find that it was definitely worth the commute.

Amidst the last-minute Christmas madness though, my family’s patience was dwindling. If it was not for a suddenly- available spot in a packed parking lot, we probably would have missed out on this hidden jewel.

A restaurant is probably the last thing I would call this restaurant. It was as if we were walking into a large family gathering held inside a cozy, festively-decorated home.

Our waitress led us up a flight of stairs into the upstairs portion of the restaurant. I could not help noticing how many lights were strung around the room, and how the Christmas music playing over our heads, added to the general feeling of family and warmth amongst the patrons.

For once, I was not too concerned about stuffing my face with cheese and satisfying my growing hunger. I was too preoccupied with taking in my surroundings.

The small children who usually throw fits and food everywhere were happily enjoying the twinkling lights and colorful Christmas trees. The moody teenagers who usually text their friends under the table were engaging in conversations with their family, and there was no lonely table for one patron in sight.

The pizza of course, was the cheesy icing on the Christmas fruit cake. We did end up recently going back again. And although the spirit and warmth of Christmas was long gone, the spirit and warmth of the restaurant was definitely not.